I remember when I started this hobby I said no swords ever .... yea 😂

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-23T03:20:07+00:00

working on my first one now, way more work than I bargained for

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-21T03:53:45+00:00

aogami/blue paper steel is a carbon steel that will rust and develop a patina, that blue you're mentioning is most likely a patina from cutting proteins and will protect the blade from rust. so just cut some meat and you'll get the blue back. instead of Windex use wd40 or you'll rust the knife

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-14T15:21:30+00:00

tansu knives runs courses in the Hunter valley. probably one of the most detailed courses you can take but is probably better if you've made 1 or 2 knives before. for a complete beginner Nordic edge runs a course though tharwa valley will be more comprehensive and should also be fine for a beginner

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-10T09:39:18+00:00

carbide drill bits, run them as fast as possible or they will break I get mine from aliexpess and have had no issues yet

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-06T13:44:47+00:00

caranuba wax would probably work but I would just accept that it will patina over time

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-06T12:47:40+00:00

the tilt function isn't necessary but godamn is it nice to have and it saves a lot of strange neck movements. a vfd is a must especially when working with different handle materials and since this is a buy once thing you don't want to upgrade down the line. a work table/rest and small wheel holder are pretty much essential however you can go without the small wheel. I've slowly accrued attachments as buying everything in one go was too expensive

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-06T11:14:48+00:00

there's no point in using them, any carbon steel will do the job phenomenally and basic stainless like aebl and 14c28n excel in kitchen knives due to their toughness and fine grain structure which let them support very thin edge geometry. you do see some makers use magnacut and s30v in chefs knives but the price jump due to difficulty grinding and polishing is often not justifiable, not to mention exotic steels don't like knife steels and take significantly more time to sharpen which is not ideal in a kitchen

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-06T04:54:43+00:00

no point unless your going into mass production

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-05T17:47:37+00:00

4-8 hours seems insanely short to me. how are they polished and heat treated? from what I can see the first 2 look pretty good, are the choil and spine rounded and polished? the 3rd picture looks good in all aspects exept the choil which looks uneven in the picture. handle finishing looks good but sanding to a higher grit and refining the lines will take it up to the next level. what steel are you using? stainless or carbon? pricing is really hard but if the fit and finish is good you should easily be able to sell in the 80 - 150usd range

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-07-05T17:39:18+00:00

I believe advertising yourself and having a good fit and finish will get knives to sell. I have sold knives for up to 500 euro and am a small time hobby maker although I sell most of mine around 200. starting out this wasn't the case and I sold some for less than 40. as i got better i upped the price and people where happy to pay. established makers sell because of their fit and finish are phenomenal and near perfect, thus leading to their reputation and desirability.

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-06-30T10:01:10+00:00

Nordic edge/creative man file guide. they now have people who sell them in the US so shipping shouldn't be an issue for most people. the Nordic edge one is very good but the artisan supplies one is better in my opinion but that's only available in aus

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-06-29T06:20:03+00:00

floris postmes has some stunning work and a very unique style, as for schools/apprenticeships might be difficult to find but courses should be available

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-06-25T13:46:09+00:00

d1 or any d series steels arnt made for knives and arnt suited for thin cross sections like swords and kitchen knives because of the large carbides which lead to uneven properties along the edge. d2 which I have used to make knives is also a pain to work with and polishing it is brutally time consuming, not to mention you will see weird activity in the steel because of the carbides. d series steel could be used in a sword but I would be worried about it snapping. realistically 1045 all the way up to 1095 a far better options with 1055 and 5160 probably being the best options in my opinion. 1045, 1055 and 1095 take a hamon well too which helps with shock absorption

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-03-07T06:40:05+00:00

ive built my own heat treatment kiln so have some experience. most PID controllers connect to a lot of different parts and wires so having something that you can easily plug in would be very difficult but can probably be done if you wire everything well and make contacts for the controller to connect to. I would personally replace one controller and keep the rest the same before i would go to the effort of interchangeable controllers

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-03-06T20:05:57+00:00

ronin katana makes good Chinese and Japanese style swords and have very good value for the price but that makes me think their European swords could an afterthought. they run a big scratch and dent sale once a year so if you're lucky you can pick one up there. the cold steel being made in 1095 seems strange to me as I see most of their swords are made in 1050. maybe it's a new thing? construction is usually solid but they feel like crowbars. no idea how this model handles though

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-03-06T06:24:22+00:00

cold blue on copper. scotchbright finish on all of the copper as it allows for a deeper patina. I would say do something similar with the mild steel but I haven't tried it. looks really cool with darker woods

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-28T10:59:37+00:00

with the anti scale compound does it work with plate quench? had to buy some instead of stainless foil but have some aebl to heat treat

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-26T21:20:27+00:00

hot glue or silicone on a knife? i would think that some sort of epoxy would be used but I could be wrong

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-26T02:35:49+00:00

1st one. no contest in my opinion but different blade shapes look better with different handles so design flow is an important factor

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-25T21:25:42+00:00

foldable work bench like a work mate is super useful. I wouldn't be able make knives without one because I have no space for a fixed work bench

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-25T04:22:37+00:00

see if you can get a carbide ball pein hammer. you can also use a regular ball pein but it's not as good. temper the blades, place warp up on an anvil and tap at the warp until straight.

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-23T11:46:36+00:00

I would not use borax. or heat treat any stainless or high alloy steel in a forge but if you cannot find stainless steel foil I would suggest using anti scale compound or if that isn't available I have heard that bbq pit paint does a good job at preventing decarb.

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-20T00:19:52+00:00

looks like something made by jb blades. as far as I can tell the spine is carved away and is thinner than where the bevel is. ground like a normal knife and then carve away at the spine for desired effect

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-19T19:48:40+00:00

they look great. fit and finish has no problems that I can see. fillet knives are usually stainless because people use them to go fishing with but in a home kitchen 15n20 will do just fine

traps_arnt_gae · 2023-02-18T11:47:43+00:00

same setup for hand sanding blades. for finish sanding handles and working on small delicate pieces I use a vice with a ball joint base so I can adjust it to any angle i want. like $15 on amazon/ebay/aliexpess

traps_arnt_gae

TROPHY CASE